


Daisy, Daisy, Give Me Your Answer Do...

by EtherealNyx



Series: Pre-Game Galar Works [1]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Fluff and Humor, Gen, LGBTQ Themes, M/M, are you ready for the we equal one whole trainer agenda??? then welcome, rated teen just in case but it's fine, specifically: people are gay and hop said trans rights
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-24
Updated: 2019-06-24
Packaged: 2020-05-19 00:33:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19345900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EtherealNyx/pseuds/EtherealNyx
Summary: ... I'm half crazy all for the love of you!In which Galarians are a little odd, Eldegoss are a little dangerous, and Trainer journeys are a little more like DND adventure parties.~~~Affectionately and alternatively titled as 'Eldegoss is a bad choice, bro'





	Daisy, Daisy, Give Me Your Answer Do...

**Author's Note:**

> This is hardly my first Pokémon fic, but it sure is the first one I explicitly planned to post. More people should write flower-themed fics; it's good for the soul.
> 
> Go forth, dear reader, with the knowledge that daisies signify innocence and that I haven't slept well in years.
> 
> (Note: It’s a bit outdated now, both hc wise and in terms of how the gyms work, but please enjoy anyway!)

_ Native Galarians would be able to tell you oodles of information about their culture, but one of Galar’s most prominent traditions involves the ideal start to a trainer’s journey. _

 

_ Now, traditions aside, most children are content to register as Youngsters nowadays; most are too eager to be responsible for a Pokémon of their own to wait. However, for those that resist the temptation, the prime age is 13, a certainly auspicious number.  _

 

_ Kalosians would call this ‘too young’, often insisting on being 15 before attempting to face their respective League. Most Galarians would call  _ their  _ views ‘poppycock’... _

 

\- an excerpt from  _ An Alolan Guidebook to Galar _

 

* * *

 

“Pokéballs?”

__

“Check.” 

__

“Rotom Phone?” 

__

“Check.”

__

“Revives?”

__

“Check.”

__

“Repels.”

__

“Check- Mum! Are you  _ done  _ yet?” 

__

“Just a few more things, Leon.” She chided him. “Safety’s  _ very  _ important, you know! You would not believe the amount of kids who get hurt because they thought it was smart to tussle with a strong Pokémon while out there in the wild.” Here, she sniffled for dramatic effect. “Why, it breaks my heart to think about…” 

__

Leon sighed through his nose. He harbored a suspicion that she’d never stop treating him like a child, even if he became champion one day. “I have Potions and my license too, Mum, so can I  _ go  _ already?” 

__

“But you’re forgetting the most important thing!”

 

“What?” Leon asked, confused. 

“You have to say goodbye to your little sister first, Leon. She’ll miss you!” Her faults aside, that was the unvarnished truth. Hop, being 4 and prone to hero worship, was overly fond of her big brother. The thought of trekking off without saying goodbye left a sour taste in his mouth. 

“You’re right…” He sighed. “Where’s she gone off to?” 

She feigned the need to think about it. “Oh, probably trashing your room!” It came out too casually to be a lie. “Have fun with that, sweetheart.”

 

Before Leon’s mother even finished her second sentence, the young teen was already sprinting up the stairs. “Hop! Hop, what are you doing?”

His little sister poked his head out of  _ his  _ room’s doorway. “Mummy said this is my new toy room!” 

In Leon’s mind, he deserved a medal for not cursing right there and then. “Ah.” was all he managed to say, struck dumb by how absolutely petty his family was. Even now, defying the family tradition of being a Youngster had clear consequences. 

“Well, uh, make sure to enjoy it for me, kiddo!” He barrelled on without much of a pause. “I’ll buy loads of toys for you once I have the money for it, I promise.”

 

Hop gasped with delight. “Pinky promise!” She demanded after a moment, giving him a look full of all the suspicion a young child could muster.

“Pinky promise.” Leon solemnly agreed. They shook on it. He threw in a ruffle of her messy hair for good measure; it was basically his duty as her older brother. 

“ _ Leon _ !” Hop whined, narrowing her eyes in the way she did whenever she was about to swat someone. “Don’t be mean, you… you butt!”

He pretended to recoil dramatically. “Oh, Hop, you’re breaking my heart here. Me? A butt? Why, I never!”

(She swatted him. He deserved it, just a little.)

* * *

_ A Rival is a universal concept, but Galarians often take such a role to a whole new level. _

_ For some, declaring someone as your Rival is the only societally appropriate way to work out years of pure hatred without subjecting yourself to relationship counseling. For others, it’s an opportunity to pursue dreams side by side with the one you intend to woo.  _

_ In Galar, however, a third option is by far the most common. The very concept of the Rival appeals most to those individuals who cannot exist comfortably with a person who constantly lingers on their mind as someone they must compete with, consequences be damned. Their interactions are forever guided by the need to gain an ‘edge’. This, along with the region’s extreme regulations on Pokémon and unusual battling practices, sets their League apart from the rest. _

_ All in all, it doesn’t sound very sporting if you think about it... _

  
\- an excerpt from  _ An Alolan Guidebook to Galar _  


* * *

 

“You’re late.” Sonia said. This was delivered in the same tone most teachers used to let a student know that, yes, adding 2 and 2 would never equal 5. Leon personally called it her ‘you are being an idiot and I can not, should not, and will not be held accountable for my actions should that keep being the case’ voice. 

__

“Blame my mum then. You know how she is.” He couldn’t stop the scoff from leaving his mouth. 

__

His newly official Rival shrugged. “Touché.” She conceded, more amiable than before. “Can’t help that, I guess. Got your Charmander?”

__

Leon ran his left hand over his trusty Pokéball. “‘Course. And you? Got your… your… uh.”

__

“... My Impidimp?” 

__

“Yeah! That’s it. Your personal trash baby.” 

__

Sonia shot him one of her best glares; it had top 20 potential for sure. “Don’t be mean! Roxanne’s  _ sensitive. _ ” She snapped. “How would you like it if I called  _ you _ a trash baby?”

__

“I’d like it a lot because Trubbish is cute,” he fired back, “and I’m not afraid to say so.”

__

“Go be a Unovan somewhere else.” She took the time to roll her eyes and shove him away for emphasis. 

__

Leon, for his part, produced an impressive huff. “Ready to go then?”

 

His childhood friend, enemy, and Rival smiled. “You know it!”

Most commenced their journey with a battle. It was the traditional way of starting things. The two of them were not most people. 

“The weather’s good today.” Sonia squinted at the clear sky, relief palpable in her tone. “Thank Zacien…”

“Yeah, we’re lucky. Some of the really dangerous Pokémon like to walk around here during rainstorms.” Leon told her confidently. “We’d be in a lot of trouble then!”

“I was thinking more about my hair,” was her prim reply, “but I’ll take your word for it.”

A tense frown settled on his face. “Okay, Princess Sonia. I’m gonna look for some berries if you don’t mind.” 

With that said, he darted off, her indignant cry of ‘Don’t be such a prat!’ ringing in his ears.  _ Sheesh.  _ Leon thought to himself.  _ She couldn’t be more dismissive if she tried. _

 

See, if there was one thing the teen was proud of, it was his knowledge about Pokémon behavior. For a time, he had flirted with the idea of becoming a researcher, but the amount of lab work Professor Magnolia did deterred him. He wanted to be out there in the field, not sifting through numbers on a computer screen. 

_ It’s better to train Pokémon.  _ He thought to himself as he neared a nice, full tree.  _ At least the only things you have to deal with are weird Pokémon and weird people- _

“Ow!” Leon hissed as he fell harshly on the ground.

“Ow.” said a meeker voice. “Sorry.”

There were a few facts Leon needed to know about the situation that he did not have access to. One: the area was a hotspot for Gossifleur and Eldegoss activity. Two: people often had interest in observing said Pokémon. Three: number two applied to the boy he carelessly tripped over. 

“Nah, I’m sorry.” He said back, shifting into a sitting position. “Missed you there. Uh… what’s up?”

 

“‘M Milo.” said the boy. He had a slight Unovan accent. “You have a sweet face. ‘M sorry, but ‘M busy.”

“Busy with what?” Leon automatically replied. He hoped the flush in his cheeks wasn’t obvious.

 

“Lookin’ at this Eldegoss. ‘M startin’ my journey today, y’see, and I want one.” He explained in a hushed manner. “I’ve been leavin’ food for ‘em. Think I have a shot?” 

For a moment, he almost responded with a quip before realizing the question was legitimate. “Well,” Leon began hesitantly, “I doubt it. A Gossifleur’s less likely to wig out and hurt you if it’s your first catch. They’re easier to care for too. You don’t want to hurt your Eldegoss because of having less money, right?”

Milo’s kind smile flickered. “No…” He sighed, clearly lamenting the death of his dream. “Guess it’s Gossifleur for me after all. Wait here a mo?” He crawled away into the underbrush, leaving the other boy behind.

“Huh!” He exclaimed to himself, awed. It was all he could think of to say. 

A few minutes trickled by. Just as he was starting to weigh getting berries against listening to a new friend, Milo emerged again, looking very much the same. “Thank you for waitin’.” He beamed beautifully. Leon found it hard to look away.

“No prob.” He said casually, forcibly averting his gaze. “Say, can you cook?”

His new friend nodded vigorously. “My Rival says ‘m very good at it!” Pride was evident in his tone. “Why?”

 

“How about you two join us on our journey? Four’s better than two!” This nicely glossed over the fact that neither Leon or Sonia were capable of cooking to begin with. 

“Sure.” Milo said at once. “If y’all will have me and Nessa, then we’ll come with.”

They shook on it. Thus, on an otherwise normal day, the ‘We Collectively Equal One Capable Trainer Arrangement’ was born between a boy who could cook, a girl who could swim and had a map of Galar for unknown reasons, a boy who knew too much about Pokémon behavior, and a girl who was loaded. 

And, if they pulled off the world’s greatest ruse by tricking an entire region into believing that they were competent as adults, that was perhaps the real benefit of the whole deal. But you didn’t hear it from me.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Who's ready for the end note supplementary content? I know I am!
> 
> \- I hc Hop as a trans boy, something that he is not aware of at age 4, hence the use of 'little sister' and 'she'. No genderbending here, folks.
> 
> \- I peg the age difference between Hop and Leon as 9 years, but I'm probably dead wrong. 
> 
> \- This was born from a hc a friend of mine has where Nessa, Sonia, Milo, and Leon all travel together during their youth because their collective skills equal one capable trainer. In her own words, "Milo knew how to cook. Leon had all the Pokémon knowledge. Nessa knew how to swim and had a map. Sonia had all the money for healing items and general Pokémon care knowledge for stuff other than Grass types. Together, they make one fully functional Pokémon trainer." The More You Know.
> 
> \- I have all of these weird thoughts on regions and their cultures, but the little scraps of it you get here are that Galarians have specific customs involving the Trainer journey and Rivals, and that Galar and Unova have an odd relationship. Feel free to hit me up about anything here at bi-hop, my Tumblr.
> 
> I'll be honest when I say this was meant to help me break a writer's block, and that I don't really know if this is of a 'good' quality, but I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless! I hope to do other flower-themed works with these four some other time (and actually include Nessa, holy shit-). Toodles!


End file.
